The Reckoning: Revised
by tearsofblood2u
Summary: Nero shows up on the doorstep of Devil May Cry just in time to accompany Dante and Trish on a routine mission. Kill the bad guys. Save the girl. Simple enough. Except nothing is simple where Dante is concerned... (Pairing: Nero/Dante and Dante/Nero)
1. Chapter One: Revised

Hello dearies. Terribly sorry for leaving off for a while. :( I've revised this and hopfully it flows a bit better... Be sure to let me know what you think! :D

Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything DMC related!

The Reckoning:

Chapter One

Thick leather boots scuffed across the sidewalk as a cloaked figure turned the corner sharply, stopping short in front of a dingy looking building. Full lips curved into a partial smirk as his eyes roved over the dingy sign hanging rather haphazardly from its rusted poles. Devil May Cry. The man slicked back the few tendrils of silver hair that escaped his pony-tail.

"Ah Dante..." He eyed the crumbling building critically.

"You were never one for keeping up with appearances. All grown up and you haven't changed a bit."

Icy blue eyes glinted amusedly and had a hint of a preternatural glow under the weak glare of the street-lamps. "I do wonder how you'll react when you see me. It's been a rather long time I suppose."

The figure released a small puff of air and spoke softly into the night. "Unfortunately it is too soon for me to show myself to you. But from what I can tell, you will have your hands full until then."

He tilts his head back, listening intently to the quiet sounds coming from the sleepy city. The darkened streets were empty as most were huddled in the relative safety of their homes. If they only knew what was coming.

He turned slightly worried eyes to the window high on the second story where Dante slept. "My child…" He whispered gravely. "Please…be careful. And try not to hate me too much when this all comes to fruition." A small part of him carried deep regret that things had to go this way but, he couldn't imagine having to lose either of his boys. Dante would understand with time. He was sure of it. Slight crunching of gravel underfoot broke him out of his reverie.

"Father."

He cast his eyes over to his eldest. "Vergil, let's go. There is nothing more that needs done here for now." And with that, Sparda faded back into the shadows, leaving no trace of his presence. Vergil followed closely behind.

Thump. A sleepy groan surfaced from beneath a large lump curled beneath a pile of blankets. The lump twitched slightly before becoming still again. Thump. Thump. The white haired half-demon muttered a low growl and flipped onto his stomach, yanking the pillow over his head, determined to salvage at least part of his dream. He had been dreaming about a demanding vixen. And who was he to deny a lady? Smirking, he buried his face into the bed and prepared to go back to sleep.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. "OLD MAN IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED, I'M GONNA COME IN THERE AND MAKE YOU! AND I PROMISE YOU, YOU WON'T LIKE IT!"

A bleary eye opened and peeked out from beneath the nest of blankets at his side-table clock. Nero was here. Joy. Turning his head he addressed the door. "Aw com'mon kid. It's only ten o'clock. I got at least another two hours before I gotta get up. Go play with Trish. I got my own stuff to do." His jaw cracked a bit as a yawn broke through. "Now buzz off…" Pause. "And stop calling me OLD!"

Nero wanted to bang his head against the door-jam. Leave it to Dante to be lazy on a day they actually had shit to do. "Save your perverted fantasies for later old man. We've got a job to do today! Trish sent me up to get your lazy ass out of bed." Nero pressed his ear to the door, listening for any noticeable sign that Dante was actually moving. No noise. Dante wasn't moving. Again. With an exasperated sigh he turned and called down the stairs. "Trish! Dante won't get up!"

Trish popped her head around the doorway and called up. "Go ahead and get him up, Nero. I don't care how you do it." He swore he could hear the smirk in her voice. His face took on a similar expression as he picked up the bucket of ice water, sitting innocently on the floor beside him. He had a feeling Dante was going to be like this, this morning. Trish had merely snickered when she saw the bucket and had asked him to try and wake Dante up nicely first. He had agreed but had taken the bucket up anyway. With a slightly wicked smirk, he threw Dante's door open and quietly made his way over to the lump on the bed. Nero quickly got a firm grip on the blankets and ripped them off the sleeping man.

"Oh." He stopped and stared, a deep red flush creeping up his cheeks.

"You've got to be fucking kidding…" Dante…slept in the nude. Why hadn't he assumed that? The older man was virtually shameless. Shaking his head to clear it, he rubbed his human hand over his eyes, mentally slapped himself. What the fuck? He was standing there like an idiot drooling at Dante's ass. Wait. Nero's eyes opened wide in realization. Drooling!? Over Dante's ass!? No. Fucking. Way. Nero shook his head in denial. The man was a womanizing, straight, thick-headed, infuriating, straight, ego-inflated, self-absorbed, and did I mention _straight as a fucking pole_, man. Nero clenched his jaw tightly in frustration and blew his hair out of his eyes.

Forcing his shoulders to relax, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Okay. Let's just pretend this never happened. I was not admiring Dante's ass and I am most definitely not attracted to him in any way what-so-ever. Nero snuck another glance at Dante and groaned inwardly. Riiiiiiiiiiight. Best to not think about that now.

Well…Back to business.

Trish flipped the coffee maker on just as a muffled cry and a thump of a body hitting the floor echoed down the stairs. Oh Dante. She shook her head slightly in amusement. Dante never learned. The kid had less patience then even she. And that was saying something. Sighing, she blew down into the steaming mug cupped between her hands. Normally, she wouldn't have bothered but Dante was needed today. Nero was still a bit too inexperienced with the particular demons they'd been hired to take care of. The benefactor said it was only a small nest of what he described as shadow demons, but something about the job itself made her uneasy. She'd learned long ago to go with her gut feeling, so…this job unfortunately called for getting Dante, a.k.a. supreme pain in her ass, out of bed before his usual one-o'clock wake time.

Well, at least Nero was here to do it for her. He rolled into town yesterday evening for a brief visit to catch up with Dante and get a break from Fortuna. His timing couldn't be more impeccable.

Her eyes flickered up as she's pulled from her musings, watching as a disgruntled Dante staggered into the kitchen. Nero followed smugly behind. Grinning from behind her coffee cup, she watched Dante pull a cold beer from the fridge and pop the cap. "It's a little early to be drinking beer isn't it?"

Dante pressed his fingers against the lump on the back of his head that had formed there from cracking it against the floor when he was so rudely awakened. He was having such a pleasant dream too. That is, until the little brat decided to be viciously evil and dump fucking freezing ass water all over him. Luckily, he had been lying on his stomach; otherwise his dick might have suffered a severe case of frost-bite. Glaring at said brat, he slumped down into a kitchen chair. Choosing to ignore Trish, he took a swig from his beer. In his opinion, if it was too early to have a beer, then it was too damn early to be out of bed.

Nero internally cackled a little as he followed a disgruntled Dante down the stairs and into the kitchen. He couldn't keep the grin off of his face. After all the teasing and tormenting Dante inflicted upon him, it was nice to finally inflict some payback. And maybe…just maybe…Nero enjoyed the view he was presented with as he watched Dante's now-boxer-clad ass stagger into the kitchen area. The skin, of course, was still damp and caused the fabric to mold around the round globes.. He wondered if Dante even noticed that he wasn't leaving much to the imagination. Probably not. Oh well, leaves me a better view. Nero thought as his grin slowly slipped into a smirk.

Dante narrowed his eyes dangerously as the sexy little bastard, a.k.a. Nero, sat down in the chair across from him, grinning like he had just won the lottery. Dante marveled at how adorably cute that expression was on his face. Too bad that exceptionally sexy brat was the cause of his suffering. For that, revenge was in order. He rested his head against his hand. Unfortunately, revenge will have to wait. He was too damn tired to think right now. "So what are we after again?" Turning his head a bit, he regarded Trish for the first time. He remembered them talking about this job last night. A nest of something or other.

Trish frowned a bit and replied, "We're after a nest of shadows near the bay on the edge of Caturbury. There have been various sightings and multiple fatalities."

Dante snorted. "Just shadows?" Dante raised an eyebrow at her. "You can't take care of a few damn shadows?"

As his eyes darted between other two, Nero decided this was a good place to intervene before Dante gained himself another hole in the head.

"It's more than that." Nero interrupted. "There have been sightings of other things there as well. Demons are beginning to multiply in that general area. It has more than just the locals worried. There has to be a reason why they're all gathering there so it's probably best that we all go. One of us can take care of the demons while the rest search for whatever is causing the disturbance."

Nero convinced himself that intervening had nothing to do with being concerned for the old man's well-being. Abso-fucking-lutely not. It's just that they were late enough as it is. Well, that and a pissed off Trish was creepy as hell. He shivered. He'd much rather save the bloodshed for when they get to Caturbury.

Trish smiled at Nero gratefully. At least one of the two men employed the use of his brain.

"What are we getting paid for this gig anyway? Better be damn good for all the trouble it sounds like it's gonna be." Dante kicked back on two legs and crossed his bare feet on the table, shutting his eyes.

Nero smirked again and glanced over to Dante. "Damn, old man you're awfully whiny this morning. Maybe we should leave you in the retirement home so you can get the sleep you need with the rest of the folks your age."

An eye twitched slightly in irritation before cracking open. "Watch it kid. I can still run circles around you. After all, I had to rescue your ass just yesterday, pup. Or did you forget already?" Closing his eye again, Dante nearly grinned. Teasing the brat was always amusing and that little comment was sure to fire the boy up.

Feeling his face flush in embarrassment, Nero glared at the elder hunter. Of course Dante would rub that in. He completely and utterly humiliated himself yesterday and really didn't want reminded of the fiasco-that-still-shall-not-be-named, thank-you-very-much. "S-shut up old man and get ready to go." Shoving himself away from the table, he left the kitchen and stomped to the front office.

A smirk curled his lips as he heard Nero storm out of the room; Dante then opened his eyes and glanced at the doorway contemplatively. Nero was so much fun to tease. It was almost too easy to rile him up. And once the little firecracker was lit, woo boy, stand back and watch the sparks fly. Grinning widely, Dante decided the fun was just beginning. Now maybe Nero would think twice before interrupting his nap.

Trish watched as Nero quickly made his way out of the kitchen and sighed. Dante had a knack for pushing the right buttons. Her eyes turned to the said man and folded her arms at the smug grin. "Really mature Dante. Sometimes I wonder which one of you is the elder." She shook her head and walked toward the door. "And what have I told you about putting your smelly feet on the kitchen table?" Not waiting for an answer, she gripped both ankles and threw his legs up and off of the table, causing the chair to tip over backwards. She heard Dante's already sore head slam against the tile floor, followed by a muffled curse. She snickered to herself as she slipped down the hall to grab her pistols. Served him right.

Nero clipped ammo rounds into his belt, inwardly fuming. Damn that Dante. Damn those freaky tentacle demon things. The very first day in the city and he ran across a few demons on his way to see Dante. It was mere amateur stuff, really. He took care of scarier herds of beasts single-handedly before. So, he got cocky. So what? He was entitled, damn it! It shouldn't have been that hard!

So what that he'd been so engrossed in the battle that he'd forgotten to watch his own back! Nero nearly pouted in remembrance. He would've had a gaping hole in his midsection had Dante not shown up. It. Was. So. Damn. Embarrassing.

Nero loaded the last rounds into Blue Rose, snapping the chamber shut. He hefted Red Queen onto his shoulder. He glanced over to the other side of the room as Dante sauntered through the doorway. The elder hunter strode over to his weapons rack and selected a sword, sliding it into place onto his back. Nero raised an eyebrow a bit as his eyes followed the elder demon hunter. "You're not taking Rebellion this time?"

Dante glanced over to Nero and shrugged. "Figured I'd give her a rest and Alistair's been wantin' to get in on a little action for a while now. Besides…" He slung his weapons bag over his shoulder and ruffled the younger man's hair as he passed him to head out the door. "I don't need Rebellion to keep up with you, kid."


	2. Chapter Two

Same disclaimer as last chapter

Enjoy!

Chapter Two:

Nero glowered at Dante's retreating from through the silver strands now obscuring his eyes. "Kid, huh? Well…" A spark of blue flashed from his demon arm as he curled both his hands into fists. His eyes glittered dangerously as he stepped up behind Dante. "You're moving kinda slow old man so let me help you…" SHOVE. "Out the door." He finished smugly as he watched Dante stumble forward and land face first on the porch. Nero leisurely stepped over Dante, calling over his shoulder as he went. "After all, it's only polite to help out the elderly isn't it?"

Groaning, Dante lifted his aching head from the porch floor and glared. The brat seemed to have it in for him today. "My poor head", he moaned as he stumbled to his feet and cradled his throbbing skull gingerly. Trish's voice rang out from behind him as she stepped onto the porch to lock the door behind her. "You ought to go a little easier on poor Dante, Nero." She called. With that, Dante grinned at Nero cheekily. Take that you conniving brat! At least Trish sided with him. Which was…admittedly strange, but he'd take all the support he could get.

"After all…His brain cells are already scarce and we need to preserve the little reserve he has left." Trish smirked wickedly as she waltzed by a pouting Dante to the car. "Light a fire under your ass, Dante. It's time to go!"

Nero grinned in Trish's direction as he popped open the trunk. Dante slowly made his way over to them, his lips pressed together tightly as he stood behind Trish, arms folded across his chest. Nero grudgingly admitted that the little pout Dante was now sporting looked rather cute. He caught Dante's eye and raised an eyebrow a bit in inquiry. The older man responded by childishly sticking out his tongue in Nero's direction. Snorting softly, Nero bit his lip to try and hold his laughter in, but found that he couldn't and burst into a fit of snickers. "You should keep that expression on your face all the time old man. It makes you look much more refined." He lips twitched in amusement as Dante's eyes narrowed.

Fuming silently, Dante glared at the younger man. That little emo brat was laughing at him! Mr. I Have More Mood Swings Than A PMS'ing Woman was _laughing _at him. That and he should have known better than to think Trish would side with him. Damn. Well, whatever. Dante rolled his shoulders and forcibly relaxed his posture to its normal slouch. This was going to be a long mission. He could already tell.

He stole a glance over at Nero. Hmm then again…it might not be so bad. The kid looked so utterly molestible when he was pissed off, after all. Dante couldn't prevent his lips from curling into a faint leer as he regarded Nero, who was currently tossing his bag into the trunk. Mhmm. There were so many naughty things he could do to that fiery brat. If Nero only knew…

THWACK. "Owww!" Wincing as his head snapped forward from the force of the blow, Dante touched the back of his head lightly before glaring at Trish. "What the hell was that for?!"

Trish gave Nero a fleeting look to make sure he wasn't paying attention and muttered lowly, "I see the way you're looking at the kid. Don't mess with him Dante. He's not one of your little flings." Dante quickly raised his hands in a sign of surrender and defended, "I wasn't doing a damn thing. I'm not gonna mess with him, I swear." Trish narrowed her eyes at him calculatingly. "You had better not. Otherwise I will, personally, ensure that you will _never _procreate…"

Shrugging nonchalantly at the spoken threat, Dante pushed passed Trish and slammed the trunk closed. "If we're gonna go, get your ass in gear Trish; we're already late."

Nero had stashed their belongings in the trunk while the others were talking, save for their weapons as neither of the elder demon hunters wanted to be separated from them. Although, Trish's face had taken on a murderous expression. He wondered what Dante had said or done now. Really, that man had no sense of self-preservation. Nero rolled his eyes. Oh well.

Nero leaned down to take a quick look into the car and nearly groaned aloud. "Uh…And how do you propose we're all going to fit in this sardine can?" Dante snickered as Trish's face turned a dark shade of red. Trish gritted her teeth and replied tightly, "You and Dante will squeeze into the back seat while our weapons will be leaning on the front seat next to me."

Nero blinked uncomprehendingly for a second before sputtering in horror. "B-but Trish…Why can't I sit up front with you?!"

Dante grinned broadly and did a little happy dance in his head at Trish's declaration. He definitely had no complaints about this seating arrangement. "Aw com'mon kid…I don't bite." Dante flung himself down on the backseat, angling his body and rested his booted feet on the headrest caddie-cornered from him. Tilting his head back, Dante met Nero's cerulean blue eyes challengingly. "Or do we gotta stop and get you a car seat so you can sit up front with Trish?"

Not to be outdone, Nero opened the opposite door to climb in. He huffed slightly and shoved Dante's feet out of the way. "Whatever…Move over old man, so I have room to sit down." He muttered. He squeezed behind the seat and cursed softly as he tried to turn his body around. Seriously?! Who in the hell designed these things?

Dante sniggered; watching Nero struggle to situate himself, and decided to lend a helping hand. Reaching out, he grabbed Nero around the waist and pulled until the younger man was seated on his lap. "There. All better?" Dante grinned behind Nero's head and snuck his hand around rest on Nero's thigh, stroking it playfully.

Nero was stunned as he landed in a heap on Dante's lap. He could feel the heat from Dante's chest press up against his back through his overcoat. He shuddered a little until he felt pressure moving steadily along his thigh. He released a rather unmanly squeak as the wandering hand got a little too close to his crotch and slammed his devil-bringer into Dante's side in retaliation. "Bastard!" He scrambled off Dantes lap and pressed himself against the opposite side of the vehicle, glaring at the older man.

Dante wheezed and held his side lightly, a chuckle bursting forth from his lips. Nero's face flushed a dark red as he tried to press himself further against the side door, grumbling uncomfortably. "Freakin perv." His eyes narrowed as he watched Dante snicker and he forced himself to ignore the older man, turning to look out the window.

Prodding his side gingerly, Dante chuckled breathlessly to cover up his surprise. The kid packed quite a wallop. He winced discreetly and moved to make sure that his ribs healed back into place. He would place a hefty bet on the fact that the kid probably had no idea that he cracked a few ribs. Ouch.

Trish clambered in a few seconds later. "All set?" She asked. Snorting, Nero shot back, "All accounted for except Dante's brains. He seemed to have left his brains at the shop instead of his balls." Nero glared at Dante pointedly.

Dante gasped dramatically in return and pressed a hand against his heart in an exaggerated motion, "Aw Nero…You wound me!"

"Keep it up and I'll do worse than that old man," Nero promised, narrowing his eyes.

Trish sighed heavily at their bickering and shifted the car into motion. "Boys we have a loooong ride ahead. Please do try to get along because if I have to pull this car over…" She glanced in the mirror and looked back at them both sternly. "_BOTH _of you will be sporting matching holes. So quit antagonizing the poor kid Dante."

Dante gave an amused salute.

Nero spoke up, annoyed and ground out, "M' not a kid."

Dante reached out and ruffled Nero's hair affectionately. "You keep telling yourself that kid."

Growling, Nero glared batted at Dante's hands and gave him a glare.

Trish rubbed her forehead in exasperation; she could already feel a headache coming on. "Oh, for god sake Dante." Trish picked up a hand gun, expertly turning the wheel with the other hand and cocked it in warning. Dante caught a glimpse of her face in the rearview mirror, murmured something unintelligible, but sounded suspiciously like 'vicious bitch' and folded his arms.

Trish ignored him and set the pistol back down. Turning up the radio, she glared at the road determinedly. They were going to get there _today_, even if it meant getting blood all over her newly upholstered seats.

After peeking at Dante through lowered lashes to be sure that he would keep his paws to himself, Nero pressed his head against the window and tried to concentrate on something besides the way his thigh kept brushing against Dante's. Every brush of Dante's leg against his own sent a thrill up his body. He had to forcibly squash his reaction.

This is ridiculous. The man is an idiot. I should really have more self-control then this. Dante was incredibly sexy, yes, but Dante also had a tendency to move to conquest after conquest. Nero knew this. I will not be another notch on his belt, Nero concluded determinedly. No matter how girly that sounds. With that in mind, he turned and fixed his eyes on the road once more, submerging himself in his thoughts.

Nero jolted as a soft snore brought him back into the present. Unconsciously, Nero's eyes sought out the maker of the noise. His eyes softened as he looked over at the napping Dante. Dante's head was bent at an awkward angle, the position most likely the cause of the snoring, and his face was completely relaxed in sleep. How is it, Nero wondered, that Dante could look utterly angelic when asleep, but was a complete pain-in-the-ass when awake?

Gnawing on his lower lip, Nero used the opportunity to observe Dante more carefully. White-ish silver eyelashes dusted over his prominent cheekbones as the same color tresses obscured part of his face, drawing a path down the strong jaw line. He was clean-shaven for once. Probably because Trish had chased him around with razor until he let her shave him. Nero gave a brief smile at that and returned to his observations. Dante's broad shoulders and a wide chest tampered down to a relatively small waistline. Actually, looking now, Dante didn't seem nearly as imposing as when they had first met on Fortuna. That's probably because I've aged a little myself, Nero mused. We're the same height now. Dante's chest still had a little more definition than mine, though. Nero stared shamelessly at the material drawn tight over Dante's chest.

He couldn't help but wonder how the muscled chest would feel beneath his fingers…

Ripping his eyes away from the scene, Nero sighed, thoroughly aggravated, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was like a drowning man, floating in the abyss and sinking fast. He knew instinctively that getting involved with Dante was dangerous. On various levels. But, he suspected it was too late to back out now. "Damn it all old man." Nero mumbled and turned back to the window.

Wincing at the kink that had developed in his neck, Dante stretched a bit and rolled his shoulders. Napping in Trish's car wasn't even remotely comfortable. Sardine can is an apt description, really. He cracked his eyes open and turned his gaze toward Nero. He frowned a bit as the crease in Nero's forehead deepened, signaling the seriousness of the direction that Nero's thoughts had taken. The kid really did brood far too much. It wasn't healthy for Nero to keep all his emotions locked away. So, in times like these, a good distraction was needed to pull Nero out of his inner monologue. Dante smirked wickedly. And he knew just the way to do it.

Nero nearly jumped a foot into the air when Dante settled his head down on his shoulder. Tensing, he opened his mouth to snap at the other man, but when Nero looked down at the sleepy face and couldn't bring himself to shove Dante away. Gradually relaxing, he rolled his eyes a bit and thought, you are so lucky you look adorable when you're sleepy old man. "You had better not slobber on me Dante," he mumbled and rested his head on his hand, turning his gaze back out the window.

Dante congratulated himself on completing the first step of his little plan to distract Nero. He'd figured the kid would shove him off right at the get-go. Surprise, surprise. Wriggling discreetly, he let his body slide down Nero's until his head rested on Nero's upper thigh. He nearly snickered out loud as he heard the sharp intake of breath come from the body he was currently pressing against.

Nero glared down at the seemingly slumbering form. What the fuck!? Dante's head could not be at a worse spot. Cursing colorfully to himself, Nero tried to shift his body sideways to move Dante's head away from a certain sensitive part of his anatomy. He heard a soft mumble and felt Dante's head turn before his eyes shot wide open and his body froze.

Dante had lain still and bided his time as Nero shifted uncomfortably. He waited until the kid had stopped moving before turning in his 'sleep' and innocently nuzzled Nero's crotch. He fought hard to keep the illusion of slumber as he felt the kid freeze and cracked his eyes open a little bit to peer up at the stilled face. Nero's complexion had turned an interesting shade of white then quickly blossomed to red. Inwardly sniggering, Dante pressed a little more firmly on the warm bulge he found there and rubbed his cheek against the fabric.

At this point, heart racing, Nero was close to all out panic. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Dante was fucking _rubbing _up against him! His clenched his fists hard and tried to keep his breathing level, looking at Trish to make sure she was still occupied before dropping his eyes to the man in his lap. The force of his body's reaction surprised him. He could feel the heat pooling in his groin and soon, he'd have a rather big problem to deal with.

He reached down to push Dante's head off of his lap. Fuck being considerate. Just as he was about to force Dante up, the said man's eyes flashed open and caught his own. Nero found that all of the sudden, it got rather hard to breathe and the only intelligent thought that passed through his head was, Oh Shit.

Dante knew the kid would probably try something drastic soon, so he decided it was time to implement phase three. He opened his eyes swiftly and caught Nero's own, watching as that oh-so-charming blush bloomed across the younger man's cheekbones, his hands caught mind-motion. Dante's eyes gleamed wickedly as he leaned forward and took the zipper of Nero's jeans between his teeth. He watched Nero's expression blossom to horror as Dante began to slowly drag it down.

Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Must stop him! Nero's eyes widened as he watched Dante. Before he could get his arms to cooperate, however, Dante's hand had latched onto his devil-bringer and motioned up to Trish with his eyes.

Dante uttered a low 'shhhh' noise.

Dante mouthed up to the younger man, "Make too much noise and she'll turn around."

Nero glared down at Dante vying between being furious, mortified and painfully aroused. He quickly mouthed back, "Well then get the fuck up!" Dante smirked and shook his head minutely at Nero.

"You'll just have to be quiet kid," he whispered lowly with a wide smirk. "So just sit back and enjoy the ride."

Dante yanked the rest of Nero's zipper down. He knew Nero could throw him off at any time if he really wanted to but was sure the kid wouldn't even try, for fear of attracting Trish's attention. Nuzzling the prominent bulge contained beneath boxer shorts, Dante was nearly salivating at the chance to finally get a taste of Nero.

Very slowly, Dante eased Nero's shorts down until the hardened shaft had sprung free from its confines. He looked up at Nero as his head dipped down between the younger man's thighs, pressing his lips against the underside of Nero's shaft.

Nero nearly whimpered. He was going to die. Dante was slowly, but surely, killing him. He sunk his teeth into his bottom lip to remain silent as he felt Dante's lips brush against his him, sending a wave of fire through his loins. He knew, Trish or no Trish, he should throw Dante off before this got any further, but his gut tightened at the thought of rejecting the older man. He shut his eyes tightly and turned his face away as Dante's hand stroking his thighs soothingly. This is what he'd always wanted, after all. Right?…So…why did it feel so wrong?

All thoughts fled from Nero's mind as he felt a hot mouth engulf him completely down to the root. His eyes flew open in shock as he mindlessly, he thrust up into that moist heat. Dante quickly gripped his hips and forced back them down. He squirmed in his seat as Dante gradually slid up and down at his own pace, swallowing around Nero's his aching shaft.

Tendons strained and became visible as Nero tried to hold himself still, only partially succeeding as a wet tongue swiped up the length of him. He tried bucking up into Dante's mouth but firm hands kept pressing his hips down. He'd had a blow job or so before but _god…_Compared to Dante, the other instances were meaningless. A flash of jealousy tore through his hazy thoughts as he wondered how Dante became so good at this and reached down to grip a fist-full of Dante's hair tightly with his human hand.

Dante breathed deeply through his nose. The kid had surprised him when he thrust his hips with the amount of force that he did. Not to mention the fingers tightly laced through his hair. He moaned around the length in his mouth, knowing how good the vibrations would feel. He remembered to hold Nero's hips this time as the kid squirmed and tried to force Dante's mouth down lower. Interesting…

Dante swiped his tongue along the slit of Nero's pulsing length and tasted the younger man for the first time. He tasted odd, not bad, but rather a mix of sweet and spicy. A taste that was pure Nero. He rolled his eyes upward to get a look at the kid and felt his own arousal increase at the sight. Nero's face was deeply flushed, lips red and swollen from gnawing on them. Glazed eyes met his own as Nero's white tresses clung to his sweaty forehead. He could tell the kid was on the edge and wouldn't last much longer so he swiftly swallowed Nero's whole length, forcing an odd sounding gurgle out from Nero's throat.

Nero was in a haze. He was so close just by watching Dante head between his thighs as he moved up and down on him, his own hand serving as a guide to the speed of Dante's head. Feeling the pleasure build up in his loins, he met Dante's eyes as they looked up at him. He knew what Dante wanted…But Nero refused to give him that. He wouldn't beg. And even if that's what Dante wanted, that was too damn bad. He still had some pride. Dante raised his eyebrows and stopped moving, causing Nero to let out an embarrassing whimper. Fuck! He was so close damn it. Nero squirmed and yanked on the older man's hair. It was getting to the point that his arousal was almost painful; so he glanced down at Dante and tried to convey his message by bucking his hips.

Dante eyes glinted knowingly and raised his eyebrows in question. Nero cursed in his head and contemplated the repercussions of sacrificing his pride. As Dante carefully stroked his over-sensitive shaft Nero swiftly came to a decision. He glanced up at Trish, who was humming along with the radio, then back down at Dante.

Dante cocked his head to the side and waited. He was curious whether or not the little hellion would put his pride aside and ask for it. From the desperate look in Nero's eyes, he knew he wouldn't have to wait long. He gave Nero a few more firm strokes with his tongue, paying careful attention to the weeping head, keeping him on the edge. Finally, Nero could stand no more and sure enough, Nero whimpered lowly, "Please, Dante…Let me come." Dante grinned at him and rewarded Nero by once more engulfing him and sucking hard as if trying to forcibly draw out his essence.

Nero almost sobbed in relief as Dante took his shaft deep into his throat. His hips jerked as his body writhed, finally falling over the edge and spilling himself down Dante's waiting throat. Nero sank his teeth into his devil arm to muffle the cry as he came hard, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. Finally, after the pleasure had been wrung from his body, Nero sank back into the seat. He vaguely felt Dante zip tuck him back into his pants and zip them. The last thing he felt was Dante gently arranging his body to lean against him comfortably. Nero then slipped into blissful darkness.

As Nero came into his mouth, Dante glanced up at the front and promptly relaxed in slight relief as Trish seemed oblivious to what had just happened. He turned his eyes back to Nero and found the younger man completely out of it, head lolling on his shoulders, face flushed adorably. Dante couldn't help but smile a little and reached forward, helping the nearly unresponsive lump to clean up and tugged the younger against his own body to let the kid rest.

He tucked the kid's head under his chin and leaned back. Ready to enjoy the rest of the ride.

Poke. "Dante!" Trish hissed.

Dante's eyes snapped open and he glanced up to where Trish was hovering. She frowned disapprovingly at Nero who was still bundled against Dante's side, fast asleep. She turned her gaze back to Dante. 'What did you DO to him?!' Her glare seemed to say. Dante grinned a little in response and half-shrugged. Carefully, of course. Didn't want to wake Nero.

"What do ya want? I was sleepin'."

"Get out. I want you to take a look at this." Trish glared and slid out of the car before Dante could retaliate.

Dante heaved a big sigh and wiggled out from behind Nero. Trying to move him as little as possible to let the younger sleep. Dante glanced down one more time at the sleeping Nero as he stood outside of the car, mournfully. Poor kid. He must be really worn out. Dante gently closed the car door and stalked towards the direction Trish had disappeared.

He finally caught up to the blond woman, who was poised over an opening in the ground with her pistol at the ready by her side.

"What is it?"

Trish spoke in hushed tones over her shoulder. "I-I don't know." The wavering in her voice told Dante all he needed to know.

He crouched down and surveyed the hole. It would be plenty big enough for him to wiggle down through. The dirt was packed tightly along the sides. It was almost like a giant serpent had tunneled down through. If that were so, it's diameter alone would have to be at least three feet. Definitely demonic. "Tell me what happened." Something must be more than what it seemed, to leave Trish as shaken as she was.

Upon not receiving an answer, Dante turned to Trish and inclined his head. "Trish?" He asked again, concern melting into his voice.

Trish's eyes were trained on the hole, her face drawn tightly. "I…was just driving by the edge of the wood here when…w-when a young man came running out into the road". She turned tormented eyes to Dante and whispered. "He came out so fast t-that I…that I…didn't have time to stop. I barely hit him and got out immediately to check him. He wasn't breathing." She took a deep breath to steel herself and looked away again. "I stood up from kneeling beside him to grab my cell to call someone, you know? Then, all I heard was screaming." Trish's shoulders trembled. "I t-turned back around and this…this…figure had curled around the boy and was drawing a blue-ish substance out of him…" A tear slid out of the corner of her eye. "The screaming…I've never heard screaming like that. The boy was dragged down into here." She pointed down into the murky darkness. "He stopped screaming within seconds."

Dante placed a gentle hand on Trish's trembling back.

"Hey, easy there." Dante pulled her back from the edge, allowing her to collapse against him. He glanced down at her shuddering form and then back at the hole. "Were you able to touch the figure at all?"

"Yes…but it hurt." Trish looked up at him. "It felt as though my skin had been turned inside out."

"Ah." Silence.

"You…you know what it is, don't you?" She asked. Trish sat up and turned towards Dante. Though she looked to be older than he and had seen a lot, Dante was still much more experienced in some ways.

Dante grit his teeth and debated a minute. "Not it…" He paused. "Who." He turned his own gaze down at the hole and it was almost like he could feel sinister eyes gazing back. "Come on, Trish." He lifted her as he stood and quickly pulled her away from the hole.

"Hey! Wait! W-what do you mean who?!" Trish dug her heels in and glared at Dante. "Explain!"

Dante glared a little at Trish before crouching down at the hole. "Now is not the time. You…need to get back to the car. I'll handle it."

"Dante…"

"NOW Trish!"

"Hey now—"

"I said GET BACK TO THE CAR!" He roared, his eyes flashing a deep garnet red as he turned to glare at her.

Trish jumped and involuntarily stepped back, aghast. Dante…dante had never looked at her that way before. It was a look he reserved for his deepest enemies. She watched as he quickly turned away, a slight shamed look in his eyes.

"Look…I'm sorry, but I need to wait by the car. I need to do this myself and…I don't want you in harm's way." Dante listened, hearing nothing at first but sighed a little as he finally heard receding footsteps. He turned his eyes back to the dark hole and promptly slid down inside.

It was as he suspected. His feet met tightly packed earth in a wider cavern at the end of the tunnel.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No own, no sue please. :)

Chapter Three

Chapter 3:

Dante lowered himself into a crouch, one hand braced against the packed earth. He let his eyes rove over the surrounding area. His whole body was tight in anticipation. He'd had a good idea of who he was dealing with before Trish had even finished her story.

Murky-bluish mist typically signified a pure human soul that was splintered and then forcefully infused with an impure soul. Pure souls emit a white light, while impure souls emit a deep blue-black light. The combination of these two causes an imbalance. This disruption, at its peak, forces the victim into a state of catatonia where the either the pure or impure soul will eventually cancel out the other. If the two souls are not given enough time to settle, the soul will gain a murky-bluish hue. He only knew of one being that could detect or instigate a soul splinter like that…

Dante released his breath slowly and waited for any sign of movement.

Nothing. No noise.

Dante grit his teeth and squinted into the darkness. He could make out vague outlines of more tunnel entrances facing the east and west, but no movement. He made to stand up, figuring that he might just have to choose another tunnel. He was still bent at the waist when he caught the hissed whisper.

_"Daaaante". _

He froze, his eyes widening as he cursed in his head. Fuck! That sounded like…

"_Daaaaaante". _

…the noise was coming from…

_"Shhhhhh…"_

…right behind him! A light brush of scales across his back propelled him forward as he tucked into a roll, pulling out his twin revolvers at the same time.

He snarled. "Piss off!" Firing off several rounds into the darkness, he attempted to back himself up into a wall to keep his enemy in front. He can see much better and move much faster than I can in this small space, Dante calculated. If I can just… A soft hissing from above his head told him of his miscalculation a bit too late. He tried to slide sideways but before he could force his legs to respond, a set of fangs sunk into the back of his neck, piercing through the thick leather protecting it like butter.

Dante's knees buckled. "Ahhhnn...Ss-shit…" Numb fingers reached back to grasp onto the hilt of his sword, but his wrist was swiftly captured in a firm grip as the fangs retracted.

"_Ah. Tsk. Tsk. None of that, now. It will do you no good."_

"Bastard!" Dante choked as he felt now-human arms wrap around his chest, pinning his arms to his sides. He could feel the venom effects bearing down on him and instinctively knew that if he was going to make a move, he had to do it soon. A grating chuckle sounded from behind his head.

"_Heh. Still as predictable as ever, little one. But no matter, you and I have plenty to catch up on."_

A cool pair of lips pressed lightly against his throat, just beneath his left ear. Dante shuddered and weakly tried to pull away. His vision was beginning to blur along the edges. The other took this opportunity to prop his chin on Dante's shoulder and turned to whisper into his other ear. "_I have missed you so." _

That was the last thing Dante heard before his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell limp in the cradle of the others arms.

d~~d~~d~~d~~d~~d

Agh. Dante slowly cracked open his eyes and nearly groaned aloud. Fuck! His head felt like it was about to cry mutiny and roll right off of his shoulders. He shifted a bit and grimaced again. Since it hurt his bad, he halfway hoped it just would. Finally, he was able to force himself to open his eyes a bit further and surveyed his situation. His wrists and ankles were incased in iron shackles, forcing his limbs into an X shape. The chains themselves were pulled so taught that even the slightest movement would cause discomfort. Tch. That figures, Dante mused.

He glanced down, his eyes widening as he found himself not only bereft of his shirt and armor, but also his weapons. Oh for the love of…Dante growled inwardly. What in the hell did people have against his poor shirts?! This was the second time this week! Seriously!

He turned furious eyes to the cavern. There was nothing of note except for a few lit candles and a large mass of fabric in the corner that he supposed could act as a bed of sorts.

After fruitlessly pulling on his bonds for a moment, he gently let his head drop back to the cool earthen floor.

"_Ah. You finally wake." _

Dante's head snapped up, ignoring the twinge of pain as he did so and bared his teeth savagely. "YOU! What in the HELL are you DOING here?" He snarled as he scanned the area, still unable to see the other's exact location.

"_…You didn't miss me?" _Chuckle. "_You break my heart, precious."_

Dante yanked harder on the chains, refusing to acknowledge the rapid beating of his heart, feeling more and more exposed as time wore on. "Yeah. Come closer and take these chains off. I'll show you the literal meaning of a fucking broken heart!"

Another laugh, closer this time, sounded from the corner of the cavern.

"_You will try, certainly. I cannot promise success. You seem to forget. I have many, many centuries on you, child."_

"Well let's see then. 'Less you're scared of getting' your ass handed to you", Dante goaded, stretching up as far as the chains would allow. "Stupid fucking ass—"

_Choke. _

Dante gasped as a strong hand curled around his windpipe, tightening and cutting off his air flow as the other's face came into full view. "_That is quite enough of that, little one"._

The other hadn't changed much, Dante mused internally as he struggled against the hand cutting off his oxygen. Silver hair, a shade duller than Dante's own, was pulled back into its typical waist-length braid. Slitted garnet eyes glittered down in slight amusement at his struggles. The being was currently in his human form and despite Dante's own considerable height and bulk, the other had strength that extended beyond his slighter appearance. His features were slightly delicate, yet there was a hint of cruelty thinly veiled behind his expression. He wore the tradition garb for a demon lord, the long waistcoat buttoned elegantly up to the throat with leather trousers shoved into dragonhide boots. No…not much had changed at all. Dante grimaced at the reminder. His vision was once again greying at the edges as he gasped ineffectually. He could feel the irons cutting deeper into his flesh as he instinctively struggled. Finally, just as he was about to pass out, the other let up on his throat and he hacked in response, taking great gulps of air.

"F-fucker..", he wheezed as he tried calm his racing heart. He felt gentle fingers brush back the fringe of hair on his forehead as his breathing finally returned to normal.

Narrowing his gaze into a glare, he met the eyes of the figure crouched above him and growled hoarsely. "Asher... I thought you were dead."

Asher grinned wickedly and purred. "_Mmm…Not exactly. I thought it was necessary for me to return to the underworld for some time. 'Twas a good thing I did. I received some…interesting…orders."_

Dante flinched as the other's hand stroked from his shoulder down to his navel. It felt as though the other's touch was like liquid fire; piping hot but uncomfortably arousing as well. 

"Orders? Who in the hell is giving orders? Mundus is dead!" Dante jerked away as Asher's hand rested on his bare sternum. "And stop fucking touching me!"

Asher merely looked down at Dante for a moment, riding out the little squirming that Dante could manage. He took in the flushed cheeks and cloudy eyes as he gently caressed the side of Dante's face. He could feel the rapid rise and fall of the chest beneath his hand. Poor precious. He could feel the heat rising from Dante's pores. This whole experience was going to be rough on the younger devil.

"_Hm. Everything seems to be in order, then." _Asher murmured, more to himself than Dante and reluctantly sat back on his heels, pulling his hands away.

Dante bit the inside of his cheek hard when he found himself trying to lean into the cool touch when Asher pulled away. He had more self-control than this, damn it. And why in the hell was it so goddman HOT? He felt slightly queasy as a suspicion arose to the forefront of his mind. He hoped…Well… It didn't matter. What mattered now is damage control. He turned enraged eyes back to Asher, who had been waiting for him to do so it seemed as he started speaking without any further prompting.

"_My orders were simple. I needed to outfit you with two suppressor cuffs. They'll leave you virtually powerless for…well…only a little while. Then you will get some of your strength back." _Asher nodded to the cuffs on Dante's wrists. "_And you ought to have a suspicion as to who gave the orders." _He then stood and released the chains that held Dante's ankles. He watched as Dante pulled his legs up to his chest and finished softly. "_You know that the only man I ever would take orders from is your father." _

Dante snapped his head up and glared. "Not fucking funny, Asher. My father is dead."

Asher blinked, uncomprehendingly.

Dante took his silence to mean confusion and grit. "My old man kicked the bucket years ago. You know that. What…did you fuckin' hit your head or something?"

Asher blinked again and to the utter surprise and disgust of Dante, burst out into helpless laughter.

"_Oh, my little one, what nasty surprises lay in wait for you! I never took your father for a needlessly cruel man…However, he simply never ceases to pleasantly surprise me." _Asher managed to gasp between fits of giggles. Finally, he heaved a pleased sigh. "_Ah well, all will be revealed soon enough to you." _Asher turned and swiftly bent, grabbed Dante's jaw and pressed a hard kiss to Dante's lips, taking care to avoid the snapping teeth. "_We will meet again. Soon."_ He mumbled into a stunned Dante's mouth before disappearing with a sharp snap.

Although Dante's wrist chains fell loose as soon as Asher vanished, he merely sat there in stunned silence. What. The. Fuck. Just. Happened? Dante blinked once, twice, before reality set in and he brought his wrists up for inspection. Sure enough, there were two simple seamless silver cuffs. He tried to wedge his fingers under one, with little success. He sighed heavily and leaned forward to cradle his head in his hands. "Fuck", he whispered morosely. He felt…human. Achingly, bitterly human. And thus, now unable to carry his own weaponry. How in the hell would he explain this to Trish and Nero?

To be continued...

A/N: If anyone is interested in acting as a beta or co-author for this story, please let me know!

Remember to review!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Trish stumbled back towards the car, still reeling a little. She had never seen Dante become so frazzled within such a short span of time. It…frightened her. And that was saying something. Dante, who kept his cool in the worst of situations, whether he be stabbed, beaten, bloodied or bruised, nearly transformed in front of her due to pure rage. It was unthinkable. She took a shaky breath and brushed blond bangs away from her eyes. She hoped Dante was alright. A shudder ran up her spine as she remembered what a simple touch from that creature felt like. And it seemed as though…he had a history with the creature. She worriedly glanced over her shoulder. Dante's fine, she told herself firmly. He's been through tougher situations and always came out on top. This time shouldn't be any different, right?

She rounded the bend and nearly stopped short. Nero was bent over, grumbling to himself as he rooted through the trunk. He had Red Queen strapped to his back and was in the process of loading his handgun.

"Nero!" Trish called, hurrying over to him. "I need your help. We have to find Dante."

Nero blinked and glanced over his shoulder at Trish. "What do you-? Trish?" His brow furrowed as he quickly turned to face her. "What's the matter?" He saw the blatant worry etched into her expression.

"I'll explain on the way", Trish answered hurriedly and holstered her own weapons. "We just need to hurry. I…have a bad feeling about this." She admitted, grasping one of Nero's wrists and dragging him along behind her. "It's this way."

D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D

Trish reached the clearing that she had been in initially and let go of Nero's wrist.

"Where'd Dante disappear, then?" Nero asked curiously. He skimmed over the area and didn't see any tell-tale signs of a battle or any sign that Dante had been through here at all. He raised a questioning eyebrow and focused his gaze on Trish as she scanned the ground. "It doesn't even look like he's been here. Usually, he leaves a pretty clear trail." He rolled his eyes a bit. "He can't be discreet to save his life."

"He didn't get into a battle above ground, though" Trish answered, still preoccupied in her search.

Nero blinked. "He's…underground? I thought he was claustrophobic?" Nero asked rhetorically as he too began searching for an opening in the ground, taking the hint from Trish.

When he found it, he nearly fell down inside. "Trish!" He called. "Found something!" He turned to examine the hole, squinting down into the dark. It didn't look very big…It surprised him that Dante had even made it down inside without having a major fit. He squatted down and easily swung his legs into the darkened space.

"Whoa, whoa! Hang on a minute, Nero!"

Trish quickly knelt down beside him. "You don't even know what's down there!" She grit. "And you're just gonna drop down without regardless? Are you crazy?!"

Nero had to grin. "Uh. Yeah. That's the plan, anyway." He smoothed back his hair and shrugged nonchalantly. "If the old man dropped down in there, I should be able to easily follow."

She glared at him and poked him in the chest. "Between you and Dante, you're gonna give me a heart-attack. Just…wait a second and let me think." She muttered.

Nero rolled his eyes a bit and huffed. "How about this? I'll drop down, check it out and call up to you within five to ten minutes or so, yeah?" He met her eyes. "I'll be fine. And I'm sure Dante is just fine too. You know how he is."

Trish considered this for a moment before sighing. "I suppose that's fair enough."

Nero gave her a confident smile. "Don't worry. Won't take me long." He then turned and dropped down.

Trish watched as Nero disappeared. She just hoped Dante was just taking his time and actually was alright. She'd never forgive herself otherwise.

D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D

Nero landed in a careful crouch. He held still for a moment, listening. He could already tell that he was alone in the cavern-like room. There wasn't much to see, however. He debated for a moment before shrugging out of his overcoat. His devil arm lit the chamber with a muted blue light. "Ahh…that's better." Nero grinned as two tunnels were revealed, both heading in opposite directions. Which way, which way Nero mused, eyes shifting from one side to the other. He crouched again and peered closely at the packed earth.

Another set of boot tracks landed a foot or two from where he was currently crouching and turned…seeming to back up into the earthen wall. Nero's brow furrowed and his jaw grit. From there…the tracks disappeared. Blue eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area, but came up with nothing.

Damn it, Dante.

Nero stood and considered the other two openings for a moment. He didn't want to call out for the other man, in the off chance that he was still engaged somewhere. But then again…Nero huffed a little and turned down the nearest tunnel. He'd just have to find Dante the hard way.

D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D

Nero turned the corner in what felt the tenth tunnel he turned down and stopped short. "The hell…" Nero blinked and stared. "Dan…te?" The tunnel opened up into a softly lit cavern. Nero had been giving a quick scan of the room when his eyes fell upon its only occupant. The other man was hunched over, cradling his head in his hands. Bruises were visible, trailing up his ribcage and around his lower wrists just below…cuffs? Nero's brow furrowed. Dante wasn't wearing cuffs earlier. Dante looked…haggard. Nero felt his stomach clench and he called out again as he slowly ventured forward.

"Dante…?"

There was no response.

Now Nero was worried. He moved quickly across the room to kneel next to the older man. He laid a careful hand on the others arm. Dante jumped as if stung and violently recoiled with a ragged gasp.

"Hey! Hey! Easy Dante…" Nero whispered, worry written across the lines of his face. He reached out again and laid his human hand on Dante's thigh. "It's just me…Are you alright?" He asked gently. He noted the unusually flushed face and glazed eyes as Dante turned to look at him. Nero could see a faint sheen of sweat on Dante's forehead. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Dante looked like he had caught the flu. The only problem with that prognosis was that Dante was completely immune human ailments like that. His immune system was ridiculously effective. However, the utter misery on Dante's face was hard to argue with. When the older man finally spoke, there was an unusual hoarseness to his voice. "Nero? Where did you come from?"

Dante had been sitting very still, unable to hear much over the roaring in his ears. He had his eyes tightly shut, trying to ride out the waves vertigo and tried to talk himself into getting up. He'd have to hope Trish came back. He knew innately that his body was weakened by the fever and he wouldn't be able to pull himself out, never mind trying to carry his weapons. He was so lost in his own thoughts that when he felt a hand lay on his heated skin, he nearly gave himself a heart attack. He tried to focus on what Nero was saying.

"…came and got me from the car. Said you may need a hand." Nero replied softly and paused. "You don't look so good, Dante."

Dante had to laugh a little. "Not feeling so hot either, kid." He replied tiredly.

Nero frowned and laid a hand on Dante's forehead. "What happened? Were you poisoned or something? You're feverish."

Dante shut his eyes and leaned into Nero's cool touch, despite himself. "Or something…"He mumbled quietly.

"Dante? Hey?" Nero's worried voice broke through the haze.

"What." He grunted. "S'too hot down here." He felt Nero gently brush the sweaty tendrils of hair away from where it was plastered against his face and neck. Dante tried to get up, rising part way only to fall back.

"Wait one damn minute!" Nero growled, catching him around the shoulders before his head had a chance to hit the ground. "I'm gonna help you to the tunnel opening. Trish is waiting for us."

Trish's irritated voice suddenly erupted from down one of the tunnels. "Well I WOULD have been had someone checked in like I told him to. Idiots!" She stalked into the cavern, gun drawn and turned her gaze to Dante first. Whatever she was about to say froze on her tongue and her face abruptly softened. "Oh…what…" She quickly made her way over to them and knelt down on Dante's other side.

Before she could say anything further, Dante waived her off. "Explain later. I just want out of this shit hole." He swayed a little against Nero and grimaced as a wave of queasiness hit him. "…don' like small spaces.."

Trish pressed her lips together and glanced over at Nero. He met her eyes and nodded . "If you can find his guns and stuff, I'll get him out of here and up to the car where we can take a better look." He looked down at the other man who was nearly fully slumped against him.

"Dante?"

Grunt. Slight shifting.

"I'm going to carry you out, alright?"

"..are not... "

Nero rolled his eyes and sighed. "What was that?"

"..not fucking carrying me out…can walk myself" Dante grit.

"Bullshit." Nero didn't even bother to argue. Dante could barely hold his head up, long enough try to climb up out of there. He swept his demon arm under Dante's knees and the other under his shoulders, standing and quickly making his way into the nearest tunnel.

"…the hell, Nero?! I told you I could fucking walk!" Dante growled, squirming and pushing on Nero's shoulders.

Nero hardly faltered until a flailing fist caught the underside of his jaw. He stopped cold and glared down. Nero could feel his temper shoot through the roof as he painfully tightened his hold on Dante, leaning down to growl roughly in the older man's ear.

"Dante, enough! …Stop with the fucking squirming or I'll knock you out to get you up there." His glare and enhanced glow in his demon arm illustrated his threat.

Dante was quiet. He wouldn't admit that a little shudder had run up his spine at Nero's growl. He had the insane urge to partially bare his throat. Dante frowned at that thought. Animalistic tendencies were connected to his demon heritage…which was supposed to be suppressed with the cuffs, so why would… Dante swallowed hard. The potential answer terrified him. He shook himself out of his musings when he felt Nero press against the sore wound on the back of his neck, causing him to release a pained hiss.

"Ouch! Fuck Nero…the hell are you doing? …fucking hurts!"

"Shut up, old man." Nero grit, leaning down further as he caught the scent of something unusual. He didn't notice at first, but the closer he got to the back of Dante's neck…the more musky the smell became. Unbeknownst to Nero, his pupils had begun to fill with a red tint as his demonic power pushed to the forefront. He shifted Dante higher in his arms and pressed his nose against the top of Dante's spine.

Dante bit his lip hard as he tried to pull away. "Seriously, kid! That really fucking hurts!"

"Quiet." Nero growled, his voice pitched lower than usual and curled his human hand around Dante's throat tightly. "Don't move. You were poisoned. I can smell it." Nero shifted down onto his knees so that Dante was bent forward a little in front of him.

Dante could feel Nero's breath on the back of his neck and tried to force his body to move, he reached up to tightly grip Nero's human arm. "Kid…whatever you're thinking, it won't work. I just need an orb or two from the car," Dante wheezed around the hand pressing against his windpipe.

Nero grunted. "That won't cut it. You're gonna have to trust me." Nero swiped the hair away from the bite mark, seeing the inflammation that had already set in. "Sorry in advance, Dante. This is going to hurt."

Dante gathered up the last vestiges of his strength and threw his body weight forward. "Enough, Nero! I don't need your fucking help!" He hissed.

Nero merely rode out the weak bucking until Dante fell back, knowing he was already utterly drained. Nero pulled the other man back. "Easy", Nero whispered into his hair. "It's gonna be fine. You always tell me to follow my instincts, right? That's exactly what I'm going to do."

Without letting Dante get another word in edge-wise, Nero tilted the other's head forward and sunk his teeth into the infected flesh as carefully as he could.

Dante could feel panic well in his chest as he felt Nero pull him back and prod the bite mark. He was already exhausted and the last bit of strength he had, drained. The hand around his throat now was so tight that he couldn't force any words to form. He never thought he would miss his regular abilities as much as he did right now. He tried to shake his head as he felt Nero get closer. He pulled ineffectually at the arms encased around him. He actually hadn't noticed until now how well Nero had finally grown into his broad shoulders and just how tight his grip was. Dante finally let out a choked noise just before he felt teeth dig into his flesh.

Then he knew no more.

To be continued.


	5. Chapter 5

A.N. Sorry that this took me so long! Work krept up on me. Hopefully, the length of this chapter makes up for it. :)

Disclaimer: DMC and its affiliates-obviously not mine.

Enjoy and be sure to review!

Last Time:

Dante could feel panic well in his chest as he felt Nero pull him back and prod the bite mark. He was already exhausted and the last bit of strength he had, drained. The hand around his throat now was so tight that he couldn't force any words to form. He never thought he would miss his regular abilities as much as he did right now. He tried to shake his head as he felt Nero get closer. He pulled ineffectually at the arms encased around him. He actually hadn't noticed until now how well Nero had finally grown into his broad shoulders and just how tight his grip was. Dante finally let out a choked noise just before he felt teeth dig into his flesh.

Then he knew no more.

New Chapter:

Nero tightened his arms around the older man when Dante released a strangled whimper and fell limp. Gently, he retracted his eyeteeth from the wound and spat out the poison that had accumulated in his mouth. He didn't know a better way to do this other than reopen the wound and try to draw out the poison. He shifted Dante back up into his arms and stood.

Nero frowned down at the unresponsive lump cradled in his arms. Dante's reaction was worrisome. Nero was unsure as to why Dante was so panicked. He almost wanted to chalk it up to the fact that Dante was hurt, feverish and thus unable to think clearly. But…he wasn't so sure. He sighed and made his way back to the first cavern. "It's strange…" Nero whispered to himself.

"What's strange?" Trish piped up from behind him.

Nero shrugged idly, his back still turned to her, playing nonchalant. "Never mind. Let's just get him out of here." He glanced over his shoulder. "Can you get all the weapons up by yourself?"

"Psh. Don't be stupid. Of course I can." Trish huffed..

Nero grunted and leaped up the wall, his boots digging into the soft earth as he propelled himself and Dante's unresponsive form up out into the open air. He landed in a controlled crouch and waited for a moment until Trish had sprung up behind him. He had to smirk as she staggered a little under the unfamiliar bulk of the weaponry in her arms. Dante's sword was at least half a foot taller than her so she was having a difficult time keeping it balanced without the sharp edge slicing into her flesh.

"You sure you can get those?" Nero asked smugly. "You could strap the sword onto my back, if you like."

Trish glared at him, eyes flashing. "I'll tell you what I tell Dante. Keep it up…and I'll shove the sword up your ass." She huffed and shoved past him, heading back to the car.

Nero grinned to himself and followed quietly behind.

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By the time Nero got back to the car, Trish had Dante's sword and handguns stashed away in their respective cases. "I can move the weapons to the trunk so you can sit up front and lay Dante down in the back." She murmured as she moved around to the other side of the car. "We'll stop at the closest hotel for the night so I can take a look at his wounds."

"Don't worry about moving the weapons", Nero answered quickly. "I'll sit in the back with him and keep him propped up. He was poisoned so I want to be able to monitor him."

Trish's eyebrow rose in surprise and she turned to look at him. "You sure? You don't have to, you know…Dante's been through worse. He'll be alright until we can get him to a bed"

Nero faked an aloof shrug. "It's not a big deal. Sitting back there with him doesn't bother me. That way…we don't have to stop until we get to Caterbury. We're only a few hours out. It'd be pointless to stop now." He finished reasonably.

Trish considered him for a moment before acquiescing with a roll of the eyes. "So be it." She turned and pulled the seat up. "Here…I'll help you settle him into the back seat." As Nero moved closer, she stopped him for a brief minute to study Dante's form. She brushed silver locks aside to cup his jaw, turning it gently to get a good look at his face. "He still feels feverish." Her eyes scanned down and focused on the dark marks on his chest and arms. "And he's…bruised."

Nero watched Trish's eyes widen and take a worried glint. "He doesn't bruise…" She bit her lip. "Something is wrong…"

"I know."

Trish glanced up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I can tell by his demonic aura." Nero replied as he shifted Dante up a bit higher in his arms. "It's nearly depleted. He feels more human now than he did earlier. I know I'm a bit more sensitive to changes in auras, but this change is hard to miss. Can't you sense it?"

She placed her hand on Dante's bare chest and closed her eyes. After a few minutes she reopened them, her face considerably paler as she studied Dante's. "H-how is this possible? Auras can't deplete that fast. Unless…" She trailed off. "The demon he went after must have held the ability to take and convert auras."

Nero sighed. "I dunno…we'll have to ask him when he wakes. But I gotta lay him down now." He grunted as he hefted Dante up a little higher. "He's heavier than he looks."

"Ah. Sorry," Trish grinned a little and opened the door wider.

"Here. Take his feet while I climb in", Nero replied, shifting so that he could climb into the backseat backwards. He turned his body sideways over the seat, parting his legs as he tugged Dante's body up between them. Trish lifted Dante's feet and knees to tuck his legs inside the car. Nero curled his hands under Dante's arms and hefted him up one more time so that he could tuck Dante's head beneath his chin and arrange his limbs a bit more comfortably.

Trish climbed into the front seat and turned back to ask, "Is everything okay? Enough room?"

Nero nodded to her as he folded his arms around Dante's chest to keep him in place. "We're fine. You might want to grab the blanket in the trunk, though. He's cold. I'll let you know when he starts to wake up."

Trish nodded and slipped out to grab the blanket out of the trunk. Nero leaned back against the side of the door, trying to slip into a more comfortable position for the long ride. He watched as Trish climbed back into the car and tucked the blanket around Dante's form.

"All set?"

Nod.

"Alright. Might as well go then. We should be in Caterbury in less than four hours."

"Sounds good", Nero mumbled quietly. "Thanks Trish."

She smiled at him into the rear view mirror and pulled out onto the road.

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Once he was sure that Trish's attention was trained on the road, Nero relaxed a little and shifted Dante to study him a bit easier. He was still considerably aggravated about what had occurred earlier in the car between Dante and him. Dante was an ass, not doubt about that. However, now that Nero had the opportunity to hold the older man, to cradle Dante's body against his own, he found it hard to hold onto his ire. His fingers traced gentle circles over the firm chest under his hand and he buried his nose in the silver strands pillowed on his shoulder.

If Dante knew he was currently acting as Nero's life-sized teddy bear… Nero had to grin a little. He knew the older man would tease him endlessly but…the picture of a cuddly Dante would be forever engrained in his mind.

Nero leaned away a little and tilted Dante's head to brush the hair out of his face. Dante appeared to be merely sleeping, his mouth just barely parted, the flush on his cheekbones still prominent. Nero placed a gentle hand on Dante's forehead, frowning at the level of heat emitting from it. This fact combined with the fact that Dante hadn't even twitched the whole way to the car made Nero nervous. He clucked his tongue a bit and debated on whether or not he should attempt to wake Dante. Probably should, Nero mused. Just to be sure that Dante was alright.

He spoke softly into Dante's ear, simultaneously giving his shoulder a little shake. "Hey, Dante. Can you hear me?"

Dante's head twitched a little and then fell still.

"Dante." Gentle prod. "I need you to wake up."

Nero watched has Dante's eyelashes fluttered a bit before revealing slits of electric blue eyes.

"…Nero?" Dante asked hoarsely, squinting up at him.

Nero had to smile a little. "Yeah. We just got—Hey! Hold still!"

Dante placed his hands on Nero's thighs and pushed himself upright, groaning as he did so. "Agh. My head is fucking killing me…?"

There was a slight trembling in Dante's limbs, not doubt from exhaustion. Nero hummed and placed his human hand on Dante's spine to give him a little more stability. He wondered if Dante remembered what had happened in the tunnel. He half-way hoped not. There was no place to duck and cover in the back seat and he was pretty sure Dante would be pissed.

Trish's concerned voice broke through the brief silence.

"Hey. You okay, Hun?"

Dante glanced up to see concerned eyes glancing at him through the rear view mirror. He grunted in response as he raised a hand to press on his head. "Peachy, thanks." He breathed out slowly, setting his other hand down to better brace himself and stopped. He now could feel Nero's hand on his bared back and muscular thighs poised tightly around his hips. He blinked once. And then again. The hell…? Why would Nero…? He paused. Oh yeah.

"Shit-head!" THWACK.

"AH! Dante!? That friggin' hurts!" Nero winced and gingerly rubbed his head, holding his other hand out as he watched Dante carefully for any more flying limbs.

The older man had turned and leveled a glare at him that…if his hair wasn't so tousled, and if his face wasn't flushed that adorable shade of red…might have been fierce. But alas,…it didn't have the effect that Dante intended judging by the slight curl that that formed on Nero's lips.

Dante narrowed his eyes and reached out to grab a fistful of Nero's coat, yanking him up. "If I didn't currently feel like shit, I'd beat the shit out of YOU, kid," he growled as he shook him. "What in the hell was that back there in the tunnels?! I TOLD you to leave the mark alone! You know how delicate these things are and how fucking dangerous it is for BOTH parties! I hope for both our sakes that you didn't finish—

He cut himself off when he caught the utterly confused look on Nero's face. The kid looked lost. Dante very nearly face-palmed. Fuck. "You gotta be kidding." He swallowed hard and ventured, "…you have no clue what I'm talking about, do you?"

Nero had raised an eyebrow slowly through Dante's rant and shrugged. "Uhh…no. Sorry." He tilted his head to the side. "Finish what? I finished draining the poison out, yes. You're welcome for that by the way." Nero made a face "…I swear I can still taste that stuff."

Dante took a slow, calming breath and pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off the oncoming migraine. He felt a mirthless laugh built up in his chest. "Damn it."

Trish spoke up from the front, "What's going on?"

Dante turned a malevolent glare in her direction. "I thought you gave the kid the demon version of the birds and the bees when he was going to marry Kyrie!?"

She went to protest, but Dante talked right over her, getting more and more agitated.

"Obviously you didn't!", he grit and bared his teeth as he reached back and tenderly felt for the mark on the back of his neck. It was still very sore but he could make out a specific rune forming on the slightly raised flesh. He let his hand fall away and sighed heavily, his leg bouncing in ill hidden nervousness. "Best case scenario… the solaris bond hasn't solidified and can thus be removed. Worst case….well…." He turned and eyed Nero, who was getting increasingly frustrated.

Nero watched as Dante bounced in agitation, moving his hand to the back of his neck as he talked about some kind of bond. Nero narrowed his eyes and reached out to tightly grip Dante's thighs to keep him from squirming. "Enough! Geez, Dante…" He frowned and asked. " Now, what in the hell is a solaris-whatever?"

Dante looked slightly pained and responded softly. "…literally means soul-mate. When the bond is solidified, it is irreversible."

Nero sat for a minute, stunned, letting the statements sink in. Irreversible? His brow furrowed. As far as he knew, all bonds could be causally revoked when the two bonded's wanted the separation. Unless… Oh shit. "This is a life-bond you are talking about, isn't it?"

Dante paused for a moment, then nodded reluctantly.

"Fuck!" Nero released his grip, slumping back against the door. He stared at Dante, trying to wrap his head around the idea that he could forever be tied to the other man. He…didn't know what to think. He took note of Dante's anxious, restless demeanor and frowned heavily. Apparently, Dante had an issue with being bonded to HIM and Nero couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but that thought _pissed him off_.

Dante watched as Nero flailed. He could sympathize with the younger man. Pulling the blanket back up around his shoulders, he shifted to the side and attempted to climb over Nero's leg to sit on his own side. He shivered. His now mostly human body didn't emit nearly as much body heat as it had before. Not only that, but he was fairly certain he was ridiculously weaker. Even the little demonic heritage he retained added no strength, but only served to further complicate the situation. If he were completely human, the bond wouldn't have been—

A husky growl interrupted his train of thought as Nero's hands wrapped around his hips and pulled him back into his lap. "**Don't. Move**_." _Nero grit in his ear.

Dante turned his head and regarded Nero curiously, his arms folded loosely over his chest. "Kid… As flattered as I am that you want me to sit on your lap…" His eyes glittered with amusement. Nero merely wrapped his arms around Dante's waist and didn't respond. His head was bowed so that his bangs completely obscured his expression.

Dante sighed and finished, "You'd be more comfortable if I sat in my own seat. I have longer legs than you do, you realize."

Nero didn't budge other than tightening his arms sharply. Dante winced a bit. "Kid?" Concern crept in and he used to fingers to gently tilt Nero's head up. He nearly froze and snatched his fingers away when he was finally able to see Nero's face.

"Well…fuck."

Deep garnet eyes regarded him with a dangerously playful expression as cerulean colored markings, looking much like delicate vines, curled under and over Nero's eyes up to his temple. His face looked sharper, more defined as his demonic heritage was forced to the forefront. The younger's lips curled a little at Dante's expression and spoke bemusedly, "What's the matter, Dante? You should see the expression on your face." Nero grinned wickedly, flashing sharp teeth.

Dante leaned away slowly, lifting his hands in the universal "I'm harmless" gesture. "Easy there…"

Having been a silent observer throughout the entire altercation, Trish decided to speak up when she felt the tell-tale demonic charge in the air. She feared for Dante. If Nero lost control…"Nero…You need to calm down," she implored. "I don't want to have to pull—

Without taking his eyes off of Dante, Nero quickly lashed out with his demonic hand and tightened it around Trish's throat, cutting her off. "Shut up, stay out of this and drive, bitch" he snarled warningly. His voiced was pitched low and guttural. "If I want your opinion, I will ask for it."

Dante's eyes widened in shock. "Nero…"

Nero tilted his head to the side and regarded Dante with amusement, his previous anger melting away though he kept his hand tightly clenched around the woman's throat. "Dante…" he returned mockingly, reaching out to stroke his free hand down the elder man's cheekbone and jaw.

Dante jerked away, snapping out of his stunned state and growled. "The hell is wrong with you, kid?" He glanced up at Trish with concern. "And let Trish go 'for I have to kick your ass, sick or no."

Nero surprised Dante by bursting out into laughter. "Really? That sounds interesting… In your current state?" He huffed and released Trish, a crooked grin on his face. "I'd like to see you try."

Trish coughed a little as air rushed back into her lungs. She shakily pulled over to the edge of the road, her hand reaching up to tenderly rub her bruised throat. She was stunned…Nero had actually lashed out at her. He'd never done that before.

Dante glared at the other man before sticking his head up between the seats. "You okay, babe?"

Trish shook herself from her reverie and hummed hoarsely. "I'm okay, Dante." She glanced up at Nero through her rear view mirror. "Nero on the other hand…"

Dante grunted and pushed gently on her seat. "Let us out." He glanced over at Nero, who was still staring at him, seemingly oblivious to all else. He rolled his eyes a bit. "Kid, what's with the creeper stare?"

"…"

"Al-_right _then." Dante hefted himself up and out of the car, stretching out his long frame. Without looking back, he headed into the nearby trees, certain the kid would follow. He needed to take this little skirmish away from somewhere that it would do damage. He had a feeling that it was going to be rough going until he could get Nero to release the power he was emanating.

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Trish watched Dante walk into the trees with a worried expression. She hoped he knew what he was doing. She turned a wary gaze to Nero, who was just climbing out of the backseat. "Dante still isn't feeling well, you know," she ventured quietly. Garnet eyes met hers.

Nero snorted a bit and growled huskily, "You think I am unaware of the state my mate is in? Don't be foolish." He turned his eyes to follow the flashes of red chaps through the foliage. "He's weak because of the power exchange. I will go easy, if that is your concern."

Trish blinked in surprise and stepped back. "Who are you?" She narrowed her eyes. "Nero wouldn't—

"Please." Nero glanced derisively at her out of the corner of his eye. "Don't insult me. The boy is not being possessed." He straightened fully and cracked his spine. "I am just the part of Nero that he has not been able to release. Didn't have the power to." He reached back into the car and pulled out the blanket Dante had abandoned and tucked it under his arm. "Don't worry; this state will not be Nero's permanent state." A smirk curled his lips. "Once the ritual is completed, Nero and I will merge completely. He will return to his normal, irritable, uncertain-self."

Trish swallowed thickly. "So…the life bond?"

"Is solidified, yes." Nero turned to fully face her. "Once this part of the ritual is complete, it will be irrevocable. Much of Dante's underlying power has permanently merged with mine. I'm still not sure why or how, so don't ask. And before you say anything, you know how these things work. If Dante had _truly_ been adverse to the solaris bond, it wouldn't have formed. Now…I need to go take care of my wayward mate." His eyes narrowed dangerously and held her gaze. "You. Will. Not. Interfere. It will not end well for either you or Dante." He turned on his heel and headed in the direction Dante had disappeared.

Stunned, Trish could do nothing but watch Nero's blue coat disappear into the trees. She closed her eyes tiredly and sighed. Dante was about to have his hands full.

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Dante sighed in annoyance as he dodged between low lying branches. He glanced over his shoulder, hoping that his instincts were correct and Nero would just follow him. It seemed that the kid had more secrets to hide than he thought. Nero, as he was now, was Nero but wasn't _Nero. _Apparently, the kid had forcefully suppressed all his demonic heritage since the aura that he was giving off now completely overpowered his usual aura. Suppression of that caliber was dangerous. Dante made a mental note to talk to the kid about it when this was all over.

_Over_…riiiight. He winced a bit. There were several ways this could go. He turned into a clearing an slowly made his way to the middle. Hopefully, he could snap the kid out of it before it got too far. Nero's voice breaking across the clearing slowed him up a bit.

"That's far enough, _solari._"

Huh? Dante stopped and slowly turned, tilting his head in confusion. "_Solari_? Since when—

He blinked and searched the area, not seeing anyone.

"Nero?" Dante called. He squinted, leaned forward and tried to make out a familiar form in the trees. He thought he could feel Nero's gaze but…

"I'm here."

Dante's stomach tightened at the low growl and he nearly jumped despite himself. Nero, somehow, appeared directly behind him and he didn't even sense him moving. That, in itself, was alarming. He stood very still when he felt fingertips trace up his spine, caressing from the small of his back to between his shoulder-blades. Dante contained a shudder and suppressed the urge to lurch forwards.

"What are you— He cut off as a clawed hand gently curled around his mouth and pressed, quieting his protestations. He reached to grip and tug at Nero's wrist, canting his eyes to the side to try and get a glimpse of Nero's face at the same time. Being unable to, he attempted to turn his head.

"Shhhh…Hush and hold still for a minute." Nero purred lowly, stroking his fingers up further as his other hand tightened its grip on Dante's mouth.

Dante's eyes widened as he realized where the Nero's hand was headed and he growled, lurching forward in an attempt to buck Nero off. He, unfortunately, didn't manage to get very far before Nero easily pulled him back and pinned his arms to his sides by wrapping his own around Dante's waist. "Let. Go.", Dante snarled.

Nero propped his chin on Dante's shoulder and hummed. "I can't do that." He turned his head so that he could speak directly in Dante's ear. "I wouldn't recommend insolence, _Solari_. Do not try my patience. We will be cementing our bond here, without interruption—

"The HELL we will! Enough is enough…Nero, snap the fuck out of it!" Dante growled angrily and slammed his boot backward, shattering Nero's kneecap. Nero howled in pain and fell back, cradling the sore limb.

Dante whirled around, pacing backwards to watch Nero warily. The younger man was seated half on his haunches with the offending leg stretched out in front. Nero was hunched over, gingerly prodding the sore area as it healed.

"Kid?" Dante ventured when Nero said nothing for some time. He didn't dare step any closer, though. He knew better than that. If the kid didn't regain control, he was screwed. Literally and metaphorically. Dante inwardly snorted. He wouldn't be so adverse to the literal act if not for the fact that Nero was completely off his nut and would undoubtedly be pissed when he came back to himself.

Dante sighed despondently. "Nero? Can you hear me?"

Nero didn't lift his head, his hands still massaging the sore joint. He mumbled. "Yeah. I can hear you…That really fucking hurt."

The tension in Dante's shoulders eased a bit. Nero's voice had lost the underlying growl.

Dante folded his arms over his chest, suppressing a shiver as the cold air leeched the heat from his skin and chuckled a bit. "Sorry, kid. I had to snap you out of it." Dante watched Nero for minute, taking note of the slumped shoulders and overall droopy demeanor. He rolled his eyes a bit at himself and sighed again. "You alright?", he asked softly.

Nero shrugged listlessly. "Fine."

Dante bit the bullet and walked over to the huddled man. He extended his hand down in front of Nero's face. "Here. I'll help you up. We can discuss this later."

Nero didn't reach for his hand.

"Kid, come on," Dante retracted his hand and crouched down in front of the other man, placing a hand on his shoulder. He felt Nero tense up and shift backwards.

"Im sorry."'

Dante considered the younger man for a moment, his eyes softening. "Nero", he sighed. "I'm not angry with you."

"You will be, in the end."

Confusion flitted across Dante's face, causing him to reach out and tap his fingers gently under Nero's jaw. "Hey. Look at me."

Nero sighed and snapped his gaze up. "I really am sorry Dante, but…you can't ignore this. I won't let you."

Dante inhaled sharply. The deception was clear in those glittering garnet eyes. "Oh shit. Nero wait-"

Dante tried to pull away, but was too slow as Nero swept his feet out from under him and easily pinned him down under his own body.

To be continued….


	6. Chapter 6

A.N. Sorry this took so long...again... Some parts of this chapter gave me a hard time for some odd reason.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything DMC related

********Warning!********* [There are explicit parts in this chapter!]

Enjoy and review! :)

Chapter Six:

A wheezing gasp was forced from between Dante's lips as he hit the ground, flat on his back. The force of it knocked the breath from his body and sent a sharp spasm of pain up his spine.

"S-shit", he gasped.

Nero took advantage of his momentary stillness to pin his wrists above his head with his devil bringer and kneel down to pin Dante's thighs with his own. Nero fell still and waited for Dante to catch his breath.

Once the black spots in front of his eyes subsided slightly, Dante turned his gaze to Nero.

"Ooo-kay," he gasped. "We obviously need…to talk about this. Now."

Nero raised an eyebrow at him. "If you wish to talk, we shall…." He leaned down further, bracing his human hand on Dante's chest and purred. "…After we are finished, of course."

Dante hissed in frustration and bucked under Nero, cursing his now-human body as he was unable to budge the younger man at all. "No! We talk now. I refuse to—

"You refuse?" Nero interrupted, his voice pitched dangerously low.

"Yes! I—…" Dante trailed off as Nero's eyes flashed.

Nero stared intently at his wayward mate, irritation further clouding his thoughts. He couldn't understand why his _solari_ was _protesting._ Well…he knew why. Dante's foolish musings were no doubt concerned with Nero's current state. He inwardly shook his head. Dante was in for a rude awakening. This part of Nero that he embodied wasn't, ever, going to go away but would merge with Nero's usual aura once the bond was completed.

His eyes softened a bit as he took note of Dante's demeanor. He could feel Dante's heart laboring, just beneath the skin. His flesh was chilled and flushed in equal parts, not doubt from the fever. Nero locked eyes with Dante and saw the physical and mental exhaustion barely hidden behind a look of fake nonchalance. Something more happened down in the tunnels. Something that Dante wasn't saying. Nero sighed and made a mental note to address that issue later. He leant down to brace his forehead against Dante's.

All protestations aside…Nero mused grimly, the longer they waited, the more risky the bond became. It would drain the both of them and Dante couldn't afford that, not in his condition.

"One way or the other, Dante." Nero growled, tightening his hold around Dante's wrists. "You will decide how this will be played out. Choose wisely."

Dante glared up from the position on his back and took a steadying breath. "You already know the answer to that. I'm not going to willingly go through with this until I know whether or not you…are you", he finished awkwardly.

Nero huffed, his face taking on an indignant expression. "You know very well that I am myself. I, as I am before you now, am not a separate entity from the usual Nero." He leered down at Dante's prone form. "As much as that makes you uncomfortable, no doubt." Leaning down, Nero tenderly placed his lips by the outer shell of Dante's ear. "No need to worry, mate," he whispered huskily. "Once we complete the consummation of our bond, my aggressiveness will fade into the background of Nero's consciousness. We will return to how we were before this…Well. With one exception."

Faster than Dante could see, he grabbed Dante's jaw in a crushing grip and tilted his head back. He lifted his head to meet the other's uncertain and slightly pained gaze. "No longer will you be having your _little indiscretions_. I will not permit anyone else to touch what is _mine_," he growled fiercely and punctuated this statement by giving Dante a little shake. "Unless you are with me, you will restrain yourself. Do not test me in this." He released Dante's jaw and sat up.

Dante's eyes had been getting wider as Nero went on, his alarm growing. How had this gotten so out of hand? Maybe he should have just stayed by the car with Trish. It wasn't that he didn't like the kid but…a permanent mating bond where he was not the guiding partner held no appeal for him. If he was at full strength, Nero would be unable to take the domineering role. The kid was so inexperienced and unknowledgeable in the art of demon mating rituals that he was concerned the Nero would end up weakening them both. They'd be screwed in that case. That, and Dante had never willingly bared his throat before anyone and he would have liked to keep it that way. But…Dante wasn't stupid. The odds of him getting out from under Nero long enough to put some distance in between them were really fucking slim in his condition. He inwardly snorted to himself. How irritating. Things always gotta be complicated. He turned his gaze to glare grimly up at the younger man.

"Fuck", he huffed.

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Trish paced restlessly back and forth. She bit her lip in contemplation as she scanned the wooded area that the other two disappeared into. Not for the first time, she hoped Dante knew what he was doing. She stopped and listened carefully. Nothing. Growling to herself she threw up her hands in frustration. She couldn't wait anymore.

"You'd better be okay, Dante", she grumbled to herself as she pushed through the undergrowth.

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Nero moved back just enough to give his mate a bit of breathing room and prodded the older man into speaking. "Have you reached your decision?"

Dante raised an eyebrow and pretended to consider the question.

"Hmm…You want to know what I think?" Dante propped himself up on his elbows and braced his legs. He knew that what he was about to do probably wouldn't end well but…desperate times call for desperate measures. And at this point, he was fucking desperate. He stared up into the glowing garnet eyes and grinned tauntingly. "You don't have what it takes, kid."

Nero expression quickly morphed into a snarl as he curled his human hand around Dante's throat and shoved him back down, forcing him flat on his back. He bared his teeth and growled, "Is that so? We'll just see about that." He shifted his knees backward, giving Dante the opening he was waiting for.

Dante swing his knee up as hard as he could between Nero's legs. He watched Nero's face lose all color as his body crumpled to the side with a low whine. Dante wasted no time as he shot to his feet, wavering a little on unsteady legs. "Sorry kid," he huffed tiredly under his breath. He glanced down at the prone form one more time before jogging into the trees. It would only be a matter of time before Nero recovered so…he had to get back to Trish before then.

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Trish cursed for what seemed like the hundredth time as her hair snagged on another tree branch. She angrily yanked at it, pulling it free.

"Damn it. Fucking idiots," she grit. "I should have just stayed in the car."

She had been searching for the other two for over an hour and so far had come up empty-handed. Her tracking skills had only taken her so far. Once she got underneath the canopy of leaves, she was unable to scent anything beyond the earthen smells of dirt and leaves. She groaned as she turned around another scarred tree trunk, one that she was very nearly sure that she had circled around before and stopped.

"Agh! This is impossible!"

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"Fuck. This." Dante wheezed. "I'm getting too old for this shit."

He groaned as he picked himself up off of the ground after tripping over a hidden root. His exhaustion and slower reflexes were beginning to take a toll on him. He moved forward and dusted himself off as he went, wincing a bit when he wiped off dirt from the little scrapes littered all over his chest and shoulders. His skin was ridiculously easy to split open now. Humans have it rough, he decided. Scowling, he dodged under a thick overhanging branch. If he ever saw Asher again—

"Dante! There you are."

He turned and raised an eyebrow as Trish stumbled intohim and wrapped her arms around his torso tightly. Her voice rose, slightly muffled from having her face pressed into his chest. "…was worried about you."

Dante's eyes softened. "I thought I told you to stay by the car, babe", he gently chided. He swept her hair out of her eyes when she looked up at him and grinned. "You were _that _worried? I'm insulted," he sniffed playfully.

Trish huffed and stepped back, folding her arms under her ample bosom. "Don't read too much into it," she replied mulishly.

They both snapped to attention when a loud crack echoed through the trees.

"Oooh shit. _Time to move_." Dante mumbled hurriedly and grabbed Trish's arm, pulling her along behind him as they took off through the dense undergrowth.

"The hell?! Dante…what are we running from?" Trish hissed as she stumbled along behind him, trying to keep up with his longer strides.

"Weeeell", he gasped with faux nonchalance as he leapt over a fallen log, "I…may or may not have kicked Nero in the balls."

"YOU DID WHAT!?"

Dante swung around quickly and clamped his hand over Trish's mouth. "SHHH! Shit, woman! What in the hell are you trying to do?!", he hissed lowly.

Trish glared at him and yanked his hand off of her mouth. "Don't fucking do that. Who knows where your hand has been."

Dante rolled his eyes and huffed. "Look. I couldn't get Nero to release his devil trigger. So…I had to resort to desperate measures." He turned and tilted his head to listen for any movement or sounds that might mean that Nero was headed in their direction. Although his human hearing was essentially useless, he still felt as though he would hear _something _if Nero was anywhere in the vicinity. He hoped so, anyway.

"…I'm sorry."

Dante blinked in surprise and glanced back at Trish as she placed her hand gently on his bare shoulder. He saw a faint line of worry and perhaps a bit of pity in her eyes. He turned away and sighed heavily. Worry, he could deal with. Pity, on the other hand, stung more than he thought it would.

"Nothin' to be sorry about", he answered tightly. He paused for a minute, considering saying something further and sighed. "Never-mind…Let's just keep moving." He turned to continue on, hoping that he at least vaguely remembered where the car was when Trish swiftly wrapped her hands tightly around his shoulder.

He glared over his shoulder, intent on telling her off but her frantic expression culled his reaction.

"Ssshh. Hold Still", she hissed. She inclined her head to the left. "I heard something."

He turned his own eyes in that general direction but could see or hear nothing out of the ordinary.

"Trish—

Suddenly Trish cried out in agony. She felt Nero's devil bringer strike out, colliding with her lower spine. The pain made her legs weak, easily enabling him to pin her arms to her sides and lift her off her feet, away from Dante. She groaned as the tightness of the hold made her ribs creak warningly.

Dante spun around, his eyes widening a fraction as he followed the glowing clawed hand to its source.

There, partially hidden behind a low lying branch, stood Nero. His devil arm was outstretched, entire body tense. His teeth were bared and his eyes bled into a deeper hue of red, his entire body radiating rage.

Oh shit. Dante swallowed hard. Nero's attention was completely affixed on Trish. That…wasn't a good thing. He cleared his throat and stepped out in front of the younger man, extending his hands, palm up, in a what he hoped was a calming gesture and spoke in a firm tone. "Nero. Set her down."

Dark eyes met his own. "Why?" Nero rasped. "Why should I put her down when she continues to _**interfere." **_He punctuated his statement by tightening his grip, cracking multiple ribs. Trish writhed and cried out hoarsely, trying to ride out the agony.

"_**STOP!**_" Dante shouted and launched forward, drawing his fist back to strike at Nero's jaw.

Time seemed to stop as Nero simultaneously dropped Trish, her body tumbling down to crumple at the base of an old oak, and extended his human hand to easily curl around Dante's outstretched fist, pulling hard. He used Dante's momentum to swing the other, head first, into a tree.

Dante fell to his knees, pressing a hand to his hand as he blinked, his vision utterly blurry. He squinted, wavered then fell forward. As he hit the ground and his vision blackened entirely, he was annoyed to find that all he could do was curse internally at his weakened body as he surrendered to the dark.

D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D~D

Dante awoke to a throbbing headache. He lifted his head carefully, feeling as though his head was about to roll off of his shoulders. He attempted to lift a hand to cradle his aching skull, he was surprised to find that there was resistance. As pieces from his memory came together, his eyes snapped open.

"What the—

He glanced down at himself and gaped. He was lying flat on his back, pressed against the soft earth. Vines had been used as rope, lacing around his thighs and under his knees, pulling his knees to his chest and spreading his thighs wide. His eyes traced the vines as they curled around his biceps and elbows, down his forearms to where they ended, encircling his wrists, binding them tightly behind his back.

"Heh. I didn't know the kid was this kinky. Interesting." He smirked, slightly amused despite himself.

Nero spoke up from just behind him, causing him to jump in surprise. Nero leaned over Dante's prone body, stroking up the older man's chest and purred softly. "I'm glad you think so."

Dante attempted to pull at the vines binding his limbs, straining against them. "Kid. While I usually don't mind kinky sex games…I'd much rather be _willing_." He raised his eyebrows pointedly.

"Is that so?" Nero smirked in return, straightening to his full height as he stared down at Dante. "In that case…no worries, my love. You'll be willing…eventually."

Dante's expression melted into a glare. "Kid. You're really starting to piss me off," he grit.

He pulled on the vines sharply, causing them to cut into his flesh. He shuddered as little rivulets of blood trickled down his hands. He tried to swing his body to roll to the side. Despite his best efforts, however, all he managed to do was sit up halfway. "Nero you've got to—

"Hush," Nero admonished sternly and easily pressed him back down onto his back. "No more talking and _hold still_. I do not wish to draw blood but will do so if I have to." Nero lifted his devil arm and flexed his hand, the talons seemingly growing sharper. He then reached down and carefully started to shred the thick leather encasing Dante's legs. He sensed the anxiety coming off his mate in waves and wished that he could ease some of it. He would have done so earlier, had Dante not been so very stubborn.

"Stop! Nero, seriously_, I can't do this_!", Dante cried, yanking hard on the vines tightly binding his wrists and thighs. Irrational fear threatened to choke him as he felt the remnants of his pants being gently stripped from his hips, leaving him completely exposed to the air. Humiliation caused a deep flush to spread across his cheek bones. He turned his face away.

Nero's demeanor softened and he sighed. He wished he could make Dante understand. He leaned down over Dante and pressed his lips to the older man's forehead.

"Easy, beloved. It will not be as bad as you are envisioning. I have no desire to harm you", he whispered affectionately, tenderly tucking away a stray lock of hair behind Dante's ear. "Truly, I have your best interest at heart…You will understand that soon enough. You no longer be alone to struggle through the years on your own. A bond such as ours is rare and is to be treasured. You'll see." He smiled reassuringly.

Dante craned his neck back to glare up at Nero mutely.

Nero sighed again, this time in aggravation. "So be it."

Reaching up, he tightened the vines around Dante's wrists a bit more, forcing a hiss of pain from Dante's lips. "I merely want to make sure that you will not injure yourself, Had you not been so stubborn, I would not have had to spread you open so lewdly." A slow smirk spread over Nero's lips as he traced his fingers up the inside of Dante's parted thighs, purring, "But then again…I think I like this better."

Dante craned his neck back further and snarled, straining against his bonds. "Kid, when you wake up… I'm gonna shove my foot so far up your ass—

"That… will be _quite enough_ out of you, mate." Nero interrupted with thinly veiled aggravation. He reached to pry Dante's jaw open, sliding a long, thick chunk of leather from the shredded chaps between his teeth, pulling it so tightly behind the older man's head that it rendered him virtually incapable of speech and tied it off behind his head.

Dante thrashed attempting to dislodge the leather strip, raging alighting in his eyes. He lifted his head and fixed Nero with the darkest glare he could muster.

Nero remained unaffected and merely smirked back, pulling on the vines laced around Dante's thighs, causing them to part further so he could settle between them. He resumed tracing his fingers over the pale flesh of Dante's thighs and hips as he leant down to press soft kisses down the older man's clavicle. Dante's whole body seemed to shudder in response. Pleased, Nero carefully trailed his tongue down to take a rosy nipple in his mouth, rolling it on his tongue.

Dante's teeth sunk down into think material in his mouth and cursed is own weakness yet again. He could feel his body betraying him. Every light touch, caress and stroke lit a fire low in his belly. He tried desperately to turn his attention to other things, but Nero ensured that wasn't possible. Every time he seemed to get some semblance of control, teeth and tongue would bring him back to himself. The warm, wetness of Nero's mouth as it encased his nipple forced a pleasured arch to his back. He let his head drop back as he groaned into the leather. The fever that he had fought off so valiantly…the heat… curled up his spine, alighting his body with sensation.

Nero watched that adorable flush spread across Dante's cheekbones. "Beautiful…" he whispered, tracing the pinkened skin with his fingers.

Dante opened his eyes to fix Nero with a weak glare and jerked his face away, growling into the gag.

"Heh." Nero grinned wickedly and reached down to firmly cup the hardness between Dante's thighs. The other's hips bucked unwittingly into his hand. "Mmm…oh I know, my love" he cooed teasingly. He curled his fingers around Dante's shaft and gave it a few firm strokes, sweeping his thumb periodically over the head. "And as much as I long to drag this out a bit more…" Nero glanced over at Trish's crumpled form. "…Time is of the essence."

Dante mumbled into the leather and struggled harder against the vines, hoping for some give. He felt Nero move away for a moment before he felt bare skin press back in between his thighs.

His eyes snapped down and widened.

Nero had loosened his jeans down his hips, his eager cock springing from its confines. He was currently unscrewing a white cap to a smallish cylinder. Dante squinted down at it.

Fuck. Trish's lotion. He growled in frustration and dropped his head back. When in the hell did Nero have time to grab that? He had hoped….well…that Nero would have to wait for actual sex. A lack of lubrication would be agony for both parties.

Fucking figures, Dante thought, inwardly rolling his eyes. Since when do things go my way? Everything's always gotta be fucking complicated.

He sucked in a deep breath when he felt Nero press his hands down on the backs of his thighs and shut his eyes. "Easy, mate" Nero consoled, his hands stroking the pale flesh gently. "Unfortunately, I do not have the time to make this completely comfortable for you but….I will make it up to you later", he finished coyly.

Dante opened his eyes and made eye contact. He shook his head slowly in a last attempt to dissuade the younger man.

Nero's face softened into a real smile as he reached up to cup Dante's jaw. "It will be okay."

Nero dropped his hand and slid back on his knees. He smugly observed that Dante's cock still stood proud and full, despite his protests. He had to pause for a moment and take in his beloved's form. Long, lovely legs were pulled up, pale thighs parted enticingly as that adorable flush turned into a deeper red. He looked utterly edible…

He was broken from his reverie when he heard a soft groan . He turned his head and watched disinterestedly as Trish slowly sat up, still slumped to the side, one arm slung over her aching ribs. Her face caught in a grimace of pain.

Nero snorted. He half-wished she would have stayed down a little longer. He shrugged. Not that it mattered anyway. She wouldn't be able to interfere at this juncture. Turning his attention back to Dante, he squirted a bit of the lotion onto the tips of his fingers and reached down between their bodies.

Dante hissed through the gag as he felt the cool, lotion laden fingers prod and stroke over his entrance. He clenched his fists behind his back as one finger pressed in, slowly forcing itself deeper into the tight channel. Shuddering, he attempted to buck his hips away.

"Sshhh…" Nero murmured and placed a comforting hand on Dante's hip as he extracted his finger. "Take a deep breath, _solari._"

Dante's brows scrunched together and he lifted his head to try to see what Nero was doing. He groaned as he felt a considerably thicker object being eased into his entrance, the sharp burn making him twist his hips and clench his teeth down on the gag.

Nero himself nearly groaned aloud as he watched the lotion bottle slowly disappear into Dante's tight channel. He glanced up to watch Dante's face for any sign of extreme discomfort. Dante had his head thrown back, his entire body shuddering as Nero continued to press the bottle inside. Once it was more than halfway inside, Nero squeezed hard on the end still protruding from the stretched opening.

"Mmmm!" Dante cried out through the gag and writhed. The rush of lotion, icy on the walls of his channel, sent yet another shudder of pleasure through his body.

Nero slowly drew the bottle back out, a dribble of lotion following its wake. He easily slid two fingers into the wet hole, thrusting them in and out and curling them alternatively. Stroking one of Dante's quivering thighs, he spoke huskily. "Look at how wet and open you are for me…" He leaned forward, on hand still thrusting and kissed his way down the others jaw. He withdrew his fingers and used his other hand to cup Dante's jaw, turning his face toward him.

Dante blearily stared up at the younger man, his entire body a mass of sensation as his hips continued to buck slightly. He moaned a little through the gag, no longer struggling against the hold of the vines.

Nero smiled proudly to himself. He could tell by the glazed expression that Dante was pretty far gone, lost in the heat he was undoubtedly feeling. He was ready. Nero curled his fingers under the leather and gently tugged it out from between Dante's teeth to free his tongue

Dante worked his jaw for a minute before whispering. "N-nero…I…I don't…"

Nero gave him a soft smile and pressed a soft kiss to others lips, tongue dipping into the wet cavern of Dante's mouth. Dante responded and moaned, albeit shyly.

Quickly, Nero sliced through the vines around Dante's thighs, freeing his legs. Nero gingerly helped him stretch them out, massaging the tightened muscles in his thighs.

Dante winced, feeling the blood rush back into his legs. He looked up just in time to see Nero position himself in between his legs. "Nero…".

Nero met his eyes and waited.

Dante sighed and debated internally for a moment. Nero looked…eager…and yet, he seemed saddened. It was as if, after everything, he was bracing himself for Dante to shove him away. The longer the silence stretched, the stiffer Nero's posture became.

This was such a bad idea.

Dante steeled himself and took a deep breath. "Alright, Nero…" He allowed his legs to part further. "…it's okay."

Cerulean eyes widened. "…Really, truly?", Nero asking hesitantly.

Dante huffed. The kid was unbelievable. He had to smirk. "Kid. Get on with it before I change my mind. You can untie my arms now too by the way." He glanced down pointedly.

Nero laughed a little, relief written all over his face. "Hmm…actually…I want to keep those on. I like the way you look." He grinned mischievously as he hefted Dante's legs up onto his shoulders and pressed his hardness against the prepared hole.

"Ready?" Nero whispered.

Dante tried to relax and goaded, "let's see what you got, kid."

Nero's eyes flashed a duller red as he gave the other a full smirk. "You asked for it, old man" he returned and with one hard thrust, buried himself to the hilt inside Dante's body.

"Aahhhhnnnn!"

Dante's jaw dropped open, his back arching high as he felt the thick shaft sink into his body. He was suddenly thankful for the lotion bottle. He panted heavily as the younger man held still for a moment, giving him time to adjust. Dante moaned wantonly at the full feeling, his own cock pulsing with every frantic beat of his heart. It had been so long…he had forgotten how good this could be.

He could only groan. "Kid…move!"

Nero shuddered as Dante tightened his body down further around his cock. "Mmm….shit, Dante. You're fucking…tight." He slowly drew back before pushing back inside a little deeper.

"Kid…if you can't handle it..." Dante panted.

"Heh. I never said that." Nero purred, grinning widely. "I'd hold on to something, if I were you."

"Pshh…Kid? The hell am I gonna hold onto when my wrists are—AHHNnnn. Shit!"

Nero laughed breathlessly and set a brutal pace, wanting to drag it out but knowing that neither of them would last that long.

Dante groaned loudly. Every thrust, but for Nero's hands holding his hips, would have shoved him back a little further each time. His body shuddered under Nero's hands, bucking back in turn with Nero's own hips.

As Nero pounded deeper, harder into the willing body beneath him, he felt the tell-tale tightening in his belly. He moaned himself as he stared down at his mate. Dante looked utterly debauched, head tossed back, cock hard and wet, pre-cum bleeding from the tip as the adorable flush that Nero loved so much spread down Dante's chest. All in all, he was beautiful.

Nero leaned forward and nudged Dante's head to the side in preparation. He turned and whispered directly into the other's ear.

"So beautiful... I love how wantonly you opened yourself for me. I'm going to make you cum on my cock without even touching yours…"

"Nero…" Dante moaned and arched up. "Please…"

"Mm…fuck. You're gorgeous when you beg." Nero snarled and thrust his hips hard, his length impaling Dante deeper than before.

Dante's mouth fell open, his neck craning back. "AHnnnhh! Nero, pleaase…Ohhh oh I'm c-cumming!", Dante cried out, jerking his hips up.

"That's it", Nero purred lowly, "Cum for me, my _solari, _my love, my mate…_MINE!"_ Nero punctuated this with a sharp thrust of his hips as he lent down to sink his teeth deeply into the mark on the back of Dante's neck.

Dante screamed as he came, his back in a high arch as he felt energy transfer from Nero to himself. He writhed, still impaled on Nero's cock as pulsating waves of pleasure washed over him along with a deep seated sense of calm.

Nero himself shuddered, emptying his seed deeply into Dante's body, his teeth still imbedded into the older man's flesh. He could feel the bond solidifying itself as a part of his soul entwined with Dante's. He winced a bit at the hollow pang he felt as part of his demonic energy drained into the other. He carefully retracted his teeth just before he collapsed full out on top of Dante, his cock still buried within Dante's wet channel.

Dante panted quietly under the younger man, the pressure on his arms becoming rather uncomfortable. "Kid", he grunted hoarsely. "You okay?"

Nero blinked slowly and lifted his head to look at Dante, the red slowly fading from his eyes at last. "Dante?", he whispered, confusion twisting his expression. "W-what— Oh. Oh." He swallowed hard, shame creeping up on his cheeks as their positioning became clear. He gently extracted himself and scrambled back. "I-I'm sorry Dante. I didnt't know…I…didn't know," he trailed off, head hung low.

Dante sighed as he watched Nero do his best impression of a kicked puppy. He had half a mind to let the kid stew a bit for bottling up his demonic energy that way. Stupid, stubborn little…well…not so little anymore, he supposed. Dante grunted and rolled slowly over onto his knees, wincing at the burst of pain and the slickness between his thighs. He was…mated. How strange. He inwardly shrugged a bit. It would sink in officially later, but for now…business beacons.

"Kid. The vines?" Dante gestured as well as he could and glanced over his shoulder.

"Ah, yeah. H-hang on." Nero stammered. He couldn't stop staring. His eyes followed the line of Dante's back. From the broad shoulders, to the trim waistline and down to the rounded ass, Dante was gorgeous. The evidence of their joining was trickling down between Dante's parted thighs and Nero could feel himself hardening.

Dante cleared his throat.

"Earth to Nero? I know I have a nice ass but, really?" He glanced down pointedly.

Nero flushed darkly and quickly tucked himself back into his jeans, stumbling over to where Dante was kneeling. "S-sorry. Here, let me get that." He easily tore through the vines, wincing a little when he spotted the dark marks the vines left in their wake. "Are-are you okay", Nero asked uncertainly as he watched Dante climb to his feet with a wince.

Dante stretched bringing his arms forward, forcing the blood to flow back into the cramped limbs. He straightened his back and turned, eyeing Nero. "I'm fine, kid. Are YOU okay?"

Nero shrugged despondently, averting his eyes. He flinched a little when a hand slid into his field of vision and braced himself, expecting to be hit. His eyes widened in surprise as Dante's hand only curled gently under his jaw and turned his head to meet his eyes.

"Hey…", Dante murmured and stroked a thumb over Nero's lower lip. "I'm not angry with you. Well…" Dante paused and considered for a moment before continuing. "I'm a little upset that you so blatantly suppressed what you are and thus endangered yourself."

Nero bit his lip a little, ashamed. "But…you're not mad about the mark?"

Dante had to laugh a little. "Ahh. I get what you mean now. You're worried that I'll be pissed about the submissive mating mark."

"Hell yeah, You're not pissed?" Nero asked incredulously.

"Psh, kid. No." Dante had to smirk a little. "I don't feel emasculated just because I have a submissive mark, you know. Besides, I'll bet I can still whoop your ass."

Nero choked and cracked a little grin. "You wish, old man."

Dante blinked and looked around, not seeing anyone else. "Uhh not to change the subject but…Where's Trish?"

"Trish?" Nero spun around, his eyes widening in realization. "Oh shit! Trish!"

To be continued...


End file.
